Levon Ichkhanian
was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon of Armenian descent. He is
the son of Edouard Ichkhanian, renowned Musical Director of Middle
Eastern artists, nephew to Professor Joseph Ichkhanian, founder
of the classical guitar program at the Beirut Conservatory of
Music, and cousin of Hovannes Darbinian, the world's leading scholar
and performer of the Armenian Tar and Choir master in The Etchmiadzin Cathedral (the oldest Cathedral in the world).
A third generation musician
and artist of great versatility, Levon is proficient on the fretted
and fretless guitars, oud, bouzouki, mandolin and banjitar. Contemporary
jazz with world beat overtones aptly describes the music of the
Canadian/Armenian multi-instrumentalist/composer.
Levon's musical
odyssey first took shape in Lebanon. "I had several monumental
experiences growing up which had a rich influence on me culturally
and musically. My Dad exposed me to jazz and continental music
letting me sit in during his band rehearsal, and as the musical
director for shows. The family would travel with him to places
like Yemen, Jordan and Cyprus. My Uncles Joseph and Jacques introduced
classical and flamenco guitar music to me. Joseph would often
host gatherings filled with musicians, dancers and painters celebrating
their art. I also have vivid memories of spending summer trips
with my family to the Northern part of Lebanon. At night there
would be parties filled with traditional Armenian and popular
Arabic music (Adiss and Fairuz were the favorites), dancing and
lots of food that went on until the small hours of the night.
These experiences have influenced me profoundly in my music and
in my person, as I continue to further explore the future".
Levon studied
classical guitar under the direction of his uncles, Jacques and
Professor Joseph Ichkhanian. At the age of twelve, his family
immigrated to Canada. One year later, he gravitated to the electric
guitar. Levon’s first professional gig was at the age of
13 with Adiss, the pioneer modern Armenian singer. Levon's talent
was sufficiently recognized throughout his formative years by
various awards, most notably by the Canadian All Star Jazz Award
received at the age of sixteen. Private studies with many different
teachers followed suit, as did several scholarships, in particular
one bestowed by the Ontario Arts Council, granting him the opportunity
to attend workshops at the University of Toronto. Later, Levon
studied with world-renowned musicians Pat Martino, Jim Hall, Steve
Khan and Simon Shaheen.
Over the past
30 years, Levon's scope of knowledge has spanned over all areas
of music - performing, composing, recording, touring, and producing
in several genres including Jazz, World and Traditional music.
Over the past several years, Levon has added music contracting
to his repertoire of expertise.
A recipient of
the Governor General of Canada's acknowledgment for musical excellence,
Levon has been recognized as a musical ambassador to Canada. He
shared the stage with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Oliver Jones, Taylor
Dane for a 2008 Olympic Tour of China. He has toured extensively
throughout North America and Europe, performing at festivals and
concert halls such as Peter Gabriel's WOMAD, MIDEM (Cannes), Chet
Atkins Musician Days (Nashville), All Star Guitar Night (Los Angeles),
Montreal Jazz Festival and Pizza Express Jazz Club (London, UK)
and the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain to name
a few. He has also toured with notables as Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus
fame), Marisa Lindsay (singing sensation from Barbados) and with
A.R. Rahman's (multiple award winner for Slumdog Millionaire)
3D World Tour which took Levon to India, Singapore, Dubai and
the United Kingdom. At home, in Toronto, Levon is called upon
to perform at events such as "Broadway and Beyond' concert
featuring Marvin Hamlisch and this year's Fashion Cares Concert
featuring Elton John.
As a session musician, Levon has played on over one hundred diverse
commercial recordings including The Canadian Idol's gold selling
C.D., India's national treasure - singer Hariharan's Waqt Par
Bolna, soprano and multiple Juno Award winner Isabel Bayrakdarian's
Tango Notturno. He also performed on numerous soundtracks for
films, commercials and television, including environmentalist
David Suzuki's Nature of Things, the CBC documentaries Daughters
of Afghanistan and Robbing the Cradle of Civilization (New York
Festival's Silver World Medal winner for Television Documentary
[International]), and AR Rahman's Guru, Sivaji and Rang De Basanti.
He has composed for the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the Atlantic
Jazz Society, scored soundtracks for the likes of acclaimed filmmaker
Atom Egoyan, as well as produced artists concerts and JUNO nominated
projects.
After performing
in Toronto stage production of The Lord of the Rings, Levon ventured
in the musical theatre world. He founded Global Village Creative
inc, offering music contracting, coordinating, performance and
production services. Credits include: The Lord of the Rings, the
Dora Award wining Toronto show Jersey Boys, Miss Saigon, Rogers
and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Disney's The Lion King, Wicked,
My Fair Lady, Donny and Marie, Colm Wilkinson, Chantal Kreviazuk,
3 Mo’ Divas, Spamalot, Toxic Avenger, Robin Hood, Chicago
and TV projects as CBC's Over the Rainbow, CTV's Rick Hansen:
A Concert For Heros, CITY Tv's Canada's Got Talent, Global TV's
Canada's Walk of Fame, and the Canadian Tenors Gemini Award winning
special Seasons of Song, with David Foster, Sarah McLaughlin,
and Paul Anka. He was the arranger and music coordinator for Andrew
Moodie’s Language of the Heart, was part of the creative
team for Twyla Tharp’s production Come Fly Away to the music
of Frank Sinatra, and music contractor for Shirley Jones, Brian
Wilson's Reimagines Tour across Canada, and the Toronto, Vancouver
and Ottawa dates for Barbra Streisand's Back to Brooklyn Tour. Levon was the music cooridinator for the 24th Annual Men's Handball Championship in Qatar, and featured performer for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's "Ararat: Music of Armenia". In 2015, Levon premiered his own production "Mediterraneo", an evening of performing arts from the Mediterranean.
Levon is an avid
explorer of improvisation, which forms the basis for his workshops,
master classes and published articles. As a recognized figure
in the music community, Levon endorses Godin Guitars and D’Addario
Strings.
His debut CD,
"after hours", blends Armenian/Middle Eastern melodies
with contemporary jazz, featuring instruments from around the
world, including the doudouk (Armenian wind instrument), tabla,
bouzouki, and accordion. Featured musicians include Grammy award
winners and world-renowned artists John Patitucci (bass) and Paquito
D'Rivera (sax/clarinet). Distributed by Mediterrano Productions,
"after hours" was an Armenian Music Award nominee for
Best Jazz Album, and reached #1 Indie and Top 10 Jazz on HMV Charts.
Levon’s
follow up CD “Travels”, winner of the best in jazz/fusion
category 2002 Armenian Music Awards, is a collection of Levon’s
compositions encompassing styles from Middle Eastern to Brazilian
grooves and melodies, and features Alain Caron on fretless bass
and Ernie Tollar on Ney and Bansuri flutes. Both CDs received
rave reviews in All Music Guide to Jazz, Jazztimes, The Jazz Report,
Canadian Musician, Gitarist, Horizon and Nor Gyank magazines to
name a few.
Levon rediscovered the method book he used as a child "Methode
Moderne de Guitar" written by his Uncle Joseph (still in
print today), which has inspired him to begin working on a method
book of his own. He also keeps busy with World Sinfonia, aimed
at establishing an ongoing presence of Toronto’s musical
diversity at home, on world stages, cultural meets and international
events, and leading guitar players from various cultural backgrounds in
Guitars for Peace. Most recently, Levon presented with the Shirakatsi Award for his service to Armenian culture in Canada and abroad.
